Tomorrowland Entrance, January 1966

Vintage Tomorrowland, it's the bee's knees, it's the cat's pajamas, it's the weasel's hat! In other words, I like it. I guess I could have just said that in the first place. 

It's January, 1966 (or so the date-stamp says), and the Land of Tomorrow looks pretty swell as seen from the Plaza. What a beautiful Winter day it was, with brilliant sunshine and a blue sky, with only a few scattered clouds. Almost everyone is wearing a coat, or at least a sweater, so there must have been a bite in the air. With the New Tomorrowland coming in less than seven months, you'd think that we'd already see construction walls, or some evidence of the enormous project that will be underway so soon. 

Here's a second shot, clouds have moved in (or maybe they moved out in the first picture), it's probably going to rain and ruin my new curly perm. Pay no attention to that boy in the foreground. Or that other boy with the black coat. Let's make a deal, don't pay attention to any boys. We can see somebody standing in front of the Clock of the World, trying to figure out what time it is. Melvin Douglas's rocket looks swell, the Hall of Chemistry beckons (chemistry = explosions), and we could hang a left and check out America the Beautiful.

Disneyland Hotel, November 1980

Not long ago, I shared some photos (scanned by Sue B.) taken by Lou Perry (Sue's father) back in 1980 as he explored the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel. Well, this is PART DEUX! As before, my familiarity with the hotel is minimal, so anything you can add would be greatly appreciated.

First up, an artificial beach area. White-sugar sand (shipped in from some tropical atoll?), and a fearsome tiki carving, along with some thatched umbrellas to complete the beachy aura. I've seen other hotels with fake beaches that border on a pool, and assume that's what is going on here as well. 

The sun is mostly down at this point, so we won't be needing one of those classic pool loungers. But if you do use one, put down a towel first, or you'll have striped indentations. Unless you enjoy that?

A monsoon has washed a sailboat way up beyond the tide line, along with a surfboard. Lettering on the sailboat says "Beach Boutique" for some reason. Was it an advertisement for a nearby shop? Hopefully you could buy plush Disney characters there, you can't have too many.

Here's one last look at the beach. Being November, it must have been too cold for a swimming pool, even if you just wanted to sit nearby and enjoy a drink with a little paper umbrella in it. Some teenagers must have knocked over that umbrella, and they probably said a bad word when they did it, too.

THANK YOU, Lou and Sue!

A Pair From February, 1977

Here are two scans from a batch dated "February 1977". The first one is fairly standard, a pretty mom (I wonder if she was an actress?) with her two denim-clad kids in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle. Too bad it was such a gray day, it gives the scene a bit of an oppressive feeling.

This next one is a mystery to me! It looks like the two kids are entering a backstage area of some kind. How they managed to do that, I'll never know. "I'm Walt Disney's grandson, and you better let me in or you're going to get fired!". That's how I would have attempted it, anyway. Mickey's smiling face is painted on the door; "Head (something)". Is this where characters put on their giant heads and costumes?

"Information" Brochures, 1955 & 1956

It's vintage ephemera time! As you know, I am an avid collector of vintage Disneyland paper items. I don't claim to have a great collection, but it's at least good.  Going through some boxes, I picked out two early "Information" brochures that are scarce but not super rare. With a little patience you can find them on eBay eventually!

Here's the front panel of this 1955 example - fairly minimal really. No Tinker Bell, no Dumbo, just a line drawing of Sleeping Beauty Castle and a bit of text. It's interesting that I almost always see these in excellent condition, which makes me assume that they were handed to guests as they entered the parking lot. The brochure stayed in the car and did not get folded to fit in dad's pocket or mom's purse, or get mangled in somebody's sweaty hands.

Unfolding it, we can see all 4 panels of one side, including answers to basic questions that prospective visitors might have. How much will it cost? How about cameras? And so on. The right two panels have an interesting graphic layout, with black and white photos of highlights from Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Adventureland. Sorry, Main Street!

The other side features a map with the major freeways delineated in red, information about public transportation, and fairly-accurate descriptions of the things you can find in each land.

Next is the 1956 version of this brochure, which is actually considerably harder to find than the 1955 version. It's largely the same as the previous example, although the blue-gray is lighter.

You'll find only a few minor changes on this side....

... and even these panels show few (if any) changes.

 

Frontierland, September 1964

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but sometimes I will scan a batch of 20 or 30 slides in one go, only to find that none of them are particularly notable or interesting. I knew in advance that I was in for a whole bunch of blog posts that would be bordering on Snoozle territory, but there's not much to be done, except to get through them and hopefully on to sunnier days and bluer skies. 

Today's Instamatic (126 format) pix are from September, 1964, and they aren't bad, but they won't raise anybody's heart rate either. For instance, here's the Friendly Indian Village, or "FIV" to the cool kids in Cool Town. Somebody needs to do something about those rushes (or are they reeds?) along the shore, they are out of control. Life on the frontier isn't easy, and these Indians are doing all kinds of useful chores, such as carving a new dugout canoe, or drying meat. Two elk are hanging from that pole, but don't worry, they are just sleeping.

I'm telling you, they needed to get a weed-whacker and take care of those rushes. If there's one thing I can't stand about the wilderness, it's the untidy plants! They've practically overwhelmed the Burning Settler's Cabin (the cabin is burning, not the settler), a guest aboard the Mark Twain probably had only a few seconds to snap a photo before the scene was hidden by more plants. 

Duskety Dusk, 1973

Here's a pair of Snoozles™ that have their flaws, but they are kind of interesting too.

I'm wondering where our photographer was when he/she snapped this first image. Aboard the Peoplemover? Seeing the Mighty Matterhorn silhouetted by the setting sun inspired fear, revulsion, then laughter, and then ennui. It was a real roller coaster! Might as well take a picture, you know? Even in this dark state, we can see other Peoplemover trains, Skyway gondolas, and a few guests. 

I'm reasonably certain that this one was taken from the Peoplemover, as the train was out at the westernmost end of the track, bordering on the Plaza. While there's not much to see down below, the spires of Sleeping Beauty Castle bristle pointily, making sure that door-to-door solicitors know to stay away. No solar panels needed, thank you very much. 

Bu's Birthday

Let's all wish GDB friend Bu a very Happy Birthday! To help celebrate, Sue B. provided the following vintage photo of a party that almost seems like a combination children's party and grownup cocktail party. Hey, why not? Give the birthday boy his first cigarette, he'll never forget it. The ladies sure seem to be focusing their attention on the kids, I like the expression on the one sitting at the table. The high chair has Meyercord decals applied to the back, it's astonishing how often you see those on vintage children's furniture. 

Sue sent a late addition, from "America On Parade", which featured floats that were tributes to things ranging from the Liberty Bell to television to surfing to... popcorn. Just those four things, strangely. Luckily, Bu's favorite food is popcorn (Sue swears this is true), I think he should treat himself to some Jiffy Pop today.

Next, Sue was nice enough to scan some photos taken by her dad (Lou Perry), from sometime in the 1980s. That was the Bu era, so now is the perfect time to share them with him, and with you! First up, folks wander past East Center Street, and as you can see, the Flower Market had moved from West Center Street. It's nice to still see the golden crown of the Hallmark shop. The Market House (to the right) was sponsored by Del Monte and Sun Giant at this time.

These photos are undated, but I get the impression that they could have been from the summer of whatever year they were taken, the crowds are respectable. Many people are milling about in Town Square, and in front of City Hall. 

Up the street, there just happens to be a fairy tale castle! The Dent is easily seen, which is always fun. The Stain is there, I guess, though they must have cleaned it with Comet cleanser.

And finally, here's a colorful and energetic look at the Castle from the Plaza. There is a balloon vendor in a yellow jumpsuit, Sue and I can't help wondering if that vendor (with only three balloons left?!) could be Bu himself! Take a look HERE to see Bu in a publicity photo 

Happy Birthday, Bu, and thank you to Sue for the photos!

More Golden Horseshoe Revue, December 1976

I have three more very nice photos from the classic Golden Horseshoe Revue show, circa December, 1976. It still featured Wally Boag,  Fulton Burley (seen here), and Betty Taylor. And lots of purty gals! Fulton Burley (or as I called him, "F.B.") sings "The Girl On the Police Gazette" (a song by Irving Berlin), with dancers dressed scandalously. There are no bare ankles here, but what if there had been?? For your edification, The National Police Gazette, commonly referred to as simply the Police Gazette, is an American magazine founded in 1845. (It) became the forerunner of the men's lifestyle magazine, the illustrated sports weekly, the girlie/pin-up magazine, the celebrity gossip column, Guinness World Records-style competitions, and modern tabloid/sensational journalism.

These gals appear to be performing the can-can, a dance all about recycling. You all remember the accompanying lyrics:

 🎶The recyclability of a material

depends on its ability

to reacquire the properties

it had in its original staaaate🎶

I admit that the message seems a bit out of place, but who's complaining? 

And finally, Betty, Wally, and F.B. take a well-deserved bow after completing their 10-millionth performance of the Golden Horseshoe Revue. A good time was had by all!

Fantasyland, September 1964

Here are two pretty nice Instamatic photos from September, 1964. Standing on the deck of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate ship afforded guest a good overview of Fantasyland, including the Mad Tea Party and King Arthur's Carrousel, with Snow White's Scary Adventures to the right. Put your finger in your nose, that lady down below is taking our picture! 

Next, a good image of Monstro the Groovy Whale about to swallow the Bold Lochinvar. It's spicy! For some reason one of the seat cushions wasn't used, which will affect the aerodynamics of the canal boat. A CM in pink waits to load (or unload?) the next boat, while a man from the FBI looks at every guest with suspicion.

Disneyland Hotel Grounds, November 20, 1980

GDB friend Sue B. (you know her!) generously scanned a series of 31 photos that her dad, Lou Perry, took as he wandered the grounds of the Disneyland Hotel on November 20th, 1980. That was a Thursday (thanks to Jason's Disneyland Almanac, as always), the park was open from 10:00 until 6:00 (short day!!), and it was a balmy 81º, cooling down to 44º at night.

My knowledge of the Disneyland Hotel can fit in a Tic Tac container, so I will have to rely on you guys to fill in the blanks. For instance, where was this picturesque little waterfall? I'm imagining the pleasant sound it would make, hopefully masking the noise of the harmonica player nearby.

TWO waterfalls?? That's too many! They'll hear from my attorney.

Koi. Why did it have to be koi? Well, OK, I admit that I like koi fish, even though they don't like me. Maybe because I fool them with Red Hots cinnamon candy? Some fish can't take a joke, that's all I have to say.

I believe that all this cool multi-level stuff is gone now, sadly - it looks like there were many little hideaways and places to explore, and I do love water features as a rule. The more the better, no matter what I said after photo #2. Looking at this image, I can picture myself playing my harmonica down there, for all to enjoy!

MANY THANKS to Lou and Sue!